Zoophobia

Zoophobia is the early webcomic by Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano (creator of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss). It began in 2012 and went on indefinite hiatus around 2016 after roughly one book’s worth of pages. Only Book 1 was substantially published; later plans and shorts exist, but the core narrative never finished. The tone mixes slice-of-life comedy, character drama, musical-theater energy, fantasy kitchen-sink mythology, and light supernatural threat.

Core Premise & Setting

Cameron Walden, a neurotic 25-year-old human with severe zoophobia (crippling fear of animals), is desperate for work as a guidance counselor. A mysterious job specialist named KayCee funnels her onto a flight that deposits her in Safe Haven (also called “the Zoo”), a hidden interspecies sanctuary protected by dense, magical forest barriers. Once inside, no one can permanently leave without risking the collapse of the realm’s protective magic.

Safe Haven is a vast, colorful world of anthropomorphic animals, mythical creatures, demons, shapeshifters, vampires, werewolves, sirens, nature spirits, and more. It contains districts (including more “feral” monster areas) and the central Zoo-Phoenix Academy (ZPA), a school for all species. Cameron is hired as the new guidance counselor. The story follows her gradual (and often panicked) attempts to function while the focus repeatedly shifts to the large ensemble of students and staff, their relationships, theater productions, personal traumas, and hints of larger lore involving Hell, curses, experiments, and ancient conflicts.

The published material is mostly introductory: Cameron’s arrival and early adjustment, student theater life, interpersonal conflicts, and character introductions. Arcs touch on art class, talent shows, rivalries, and small-scale adventures. Larger mythological stakes (Holy War references, demonic politics, immortality curses) are teased but never fully resolved because of the hiatus.

Main Story Flow (Book 1 Summary)

The comic opens with Cameron in therapy, describing a recurring vivid dream. She is late for a job interview, accepts the mysterious posting, and boards a plane. Mid-flight she sees a gigantic multi-eyed bird; the plane lands in Safe Haven. She wakes (or arrives) amid talking animals and creatures, panics, and is knocked out or escorted by the large cheetah principal Zechariah. He calmly explains the interspecies nature of the place, confirms vampires/demons/merfolk/etc. exist, and tells her she is now the guidance counselor and cannot leave.

Cameron’s early days are pure fear comedy: she attacks the mail carrier daily with a bat out of pure terror, freezes or screams around students, and struggles to do her job. She slowly meets staff and students. Much of the page count then pivots to the theater kids (the “Main Five” and their circle), their rehearsals, romantic tensions, school rivalries, and personal histories. Side plots involve Damian’s secret attendance as the son of Lucifer, Jack’s constant misfortune, Addison’s artistic isolation, and various staff eccentricities. The narrative jumps between Cameron’s phobia management and the students’ lives; character arcs begin but remain unfinished. Short animated works expand specific characters: The Son of 666 (Damian-focused) and Bad Luck Jack (Jack-focused, 2020).

Major Characters & Personalities

Cameron “Cam” Walden Human, ~25, guidance counselor. Extremely neurotic, anxious, and phobic. She is kind-hearted and wants to help students, but her zoophobia makes her freeze, scream, cry, or lash out. Over time she shows determination to improve and genuine care, though progress is slow and comic. She is the entry-point protagonist but not always the central focus.

Jackson “Jack” Wells Jackal student, drama club. Gentle, kind, soft-spoken, deeply superstitious. Cursed with immortality and relentless bad luck: constant accidents, injuries, and misfortune that make most people avoid him. He is the ultimate woobie—sweet, loyal, and eternally unlucky. Best friends with Zill; cousin to Damian. Crying is practically a hobby. Central to the Bad Luck Jack short.

Zillion “Zill” Chimera/dragon/demon hybrid student created in a science experiment. Confident, kind, friendly, a bit cocky, with a sense of humor. Possesses energy-based superpowers and a snake tail named Pasta. Drama club member, best friend of Jack, boyfriend of Kayla. Protective and theatrical.

Kayla Kangaroo student, drama club. Warm, caring, friendly, and theater-obsessed. Becomes fierce and unforgiving if crossed or upset. Girlfriend of Zill; close to the Main Five.

Spam O’Brien Hyperactive fox student, music-loving, drama club. Outwardly happy-go-lucky, optimistic, and fun-loving. This energy often masks childhood trauma (he witnessed his mother’s death by wolves). Loyal friend to the group.

Vanexa “Vex” Pierce Pessimistic, quiet, introverted purple cat student. Loves reading; deadpan and cynical. Drama club member and part of the Main Five. More reserved than the others.

Damian Beelzebub / Son of 666 Demon prince, son of Lucifer/Satan, attending ZPA in secret. Mischievous, troublemaking, theatrical, banjo-playing. Has a big heart under the chaos and rejects his father’s methods. Cousin to Jack; close to Addison and Sahara. Focus of the Son of 666 short. Drama club energy.

Addison “Addi” Woods Half-human / half-fennec fox (or similar). Introverted, somewhat elitist, spends most time in the art wing. Quiet and closed-off, but forms close bonds with Damian and Sahara whose energy softens him. Artistic and private.

Zechariah Giant cheetah, principal of ZPA. Calm, patient, authoritative, and surprisingly gentle with Cameron. Explains the rules of Safe Haven and looks after her early on.

Jackie Loud, high-energy drama/musical theater instructor. Expressive, stage-presence heavy, encouraging. Married to Alanzo. Shapeshifting bird (initially appears more human-like to Cameron).

Alanzo “Al” Valdez Dance instructor, Jackie’s husband. Eccentric, zany, light-hearted, endlessly energetic and encouraging. His humor can come across as strange.

Other notable figures

• Rusty: Often mocks or quarrels with Autumn; more antagonistic energy.
• Autumn: Selfless fawn who helps others while having low self-worth.
• Fabian: Suave fox psychology teacher; charming, open-minded about interspecies relationships, but hides an adventurous past.
• Carrie: Lizard-demon cowgirl type; blunt and colorful.
• Tom: Dark-aura incubus; former relationship with Addison.
• Sahara: Part of Damian/Addison’s circle; energetic.
• Mackenzie: The only other human student; clumsy, artistic, bullied for being human and for her amateur efforts.
• Jay Jay (BlueJay) Burdell: Blue-furred werewolf; party animal by night, farmer by day. Popular from the Die Young animatic even with limited comic appearance.
• KayCee: Mysterious job specialist who engineered Cameron’s arrival; motives unclear.
• Many more (over 100 characters planned or briefly shown): teachers, students, background creatures, and scrapped figures later reused or inspired Hazbin Hotel characters (Alastor and Angel Dust originated in early Zoophobia concepts before being moved).

Themes & Style

Fear versus adaptation, found family among misfits, the absurdity of theater kids in a monster world, hidden traumas under cheerful exteriors, and the tension between demonic heritage and personal choice. Art is colorful, expressive, and heavily character-driven. Dialogue is often theatrical or comedic. The comic never resolves the bigger lore or fully overcomes Cameron’s phobia; it remains a snapshot of a much larger planned story that VivziePop later channeled into the Hellaverse.

The official site and wiki still host the existing pages. Shorts The Son of 666 (2013) and Bad Luck Jack (2020) expand Damian and Jack respectively. In 2026 there were public comments about possible animated shorts or a reboot/miniseries, but the original comic remains unfinished.